Afghanistan vs South Africa CWC 2023
Afghanistan and South Africa will go head-to-head on 10 November 2023. This may be a match with no consequences. However, with the passion and excitement of the Afghan cricket team, things will get much more entertaining in this match. We will talk more about this match in this article. So continue reading to find out the predictions and analysis.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023
South Africa’s domination
South Africa has been a force to be reckoned with in this World Cup. They have been successful with only two matches against them, winning against solid sides like Australia and New Zealand and the thriller against Pakistan. They are one of the strongest contenders for this year’s title.
Read: South African Team for ICC World Men’s World Cup 2023
Afghanistan’s rise
Afghanistan’s rise took everyone by surprise. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Afghanistan has been a far better side in this tournament than full ICC members like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England. They almost won their match against Australia and dumped New Zealand and Pakistan’s hope for the knockout stages.
Check: Afghanistan squad for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
It took an out-of-the-world innings from Glenn Maxwell to take that match out of Afghanistan’s clutches. It will not be wise of South Africa to write Afghanistan off entirely in this match. They have to come at them with full force.
Match preview
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Key players
Afghanistan will count a lot on their players. If you ask me who can be the key player for this match, I won’t be able to give you an answer. This is because Afghanistan always won with team efforts. However, if I have to name someone, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and the openers will play a huge role.
In South Africa’s perspective, Maraco Jansen and Klaasen will be their key players. Marco Jansen’s all-round abilities have helped the team in many matches. His performance may get overshadowed by the de Kock’s tons or Klaasen’s brutal onslaught, but we are watching you, Jansen. We are watching you.
Possible playing 11
Afghanistan may go for a pacemaker in place of any of their spinners. Ahmedabad has been a balanced pitch so far. It had something to offer to both the batter and the bowlers. So, you can expect a pacer coming in the place of Noor Ahmad.
The same factors go for South Africa. They may rest Tabraz Shamsi and bring back Coetzee. It was surprising to see South Africa resting Coetzee in their match against India. Also, Lungi Ngidi struggled a little bit during this match. The Proteas may go for any other bowler in his stead.
Pitch report
This pitch hasn’t been a high-scoring one. The teams haven’t been able to score much. There has been a lot of help for the Pacers on this surface. However, the soil type will determine what can happen to the bowlers. If the pitch is red, it will help pacers a lot more. However, if the soil’s color is dull, it will be slow and more helpful for the spinners.
Predictions
South Africa will win this match if they have learned from the mistakes of all the other teams who lost against Afghanistan. Their fielding has been over the top. So, do not think that Afghanistan will give you any freebies. If the Proteas play defensively or take Afghanistan easy, it might lose them. Taking early wickets is the key, and that is why Marco Jansen is a crucial player for them in this match.
Highlights
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first.
Playing 11
| AFGHANISTAN | SOUTH AFRICA |
|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Quinton de Kock |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Temba Bavuma |
| Rahmat Shah | Rassie van der Dussen |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | Aiden Markram |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Heinrich Klaasen |
| Ikram Alikhil | David Miller |
| Mohammad Nabi | Andile Phehlukwayo |
| Rashid Khan | Keshav Maharaj |
| Noor Ahmad | Gerald Coetzee |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Lungi Ngidi |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | Kagiso Rabada |
First innings – Afghanistan
| AFGHANISTAN 244-10 (50 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Azmatullah Omarzai 97 (107) | Gerald Coetzee 4-44 |
| Noor Ahmad 26 (32) | Keshav Maharaj 2-25 |
| Noor Ahmad 26 (46) | Lungi Ngidi 2-69 |
| TARGET | 245 runs in 50 overs |
- Afghanistan batted first and got off to a good start, scoring 41 runs in the opening eight overs. They did, however, lose three wickets in three overs.
- The scoring rate dropped dramatically due to South Africa’s tight bowling. Afghanistan kept losing wickets and were in trouble at 116/6.
- Azmatullah had a 49-run stand with Rahmat earlier and had two additional 40-run partnerships (with Rashid and Noor).
- He increased the stakes in the death matches and took a particular interest in Ngidi. Azmatullah may have missed his ton by three runs, but he has given his team something to bowl at.
- For South Africa, Maharaj was once again miserly, while Coetzee scored four times. Rabada was bowled out.
- In his first stint, Ngidi hobbled off the field with an ankle injury; he returned to pick up a few wickets but wasn’t bowling at full pace. Captain Bavuma was also limping around.
Second innings – South Africa
| SOUTH AFRICA 247-5 (47.3 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Rassie van der Dussen 76 (95) | Mohammad Nabi 2-35 |
| Quinton de Kock 41 (47) | Rashid Khan 2-37 |
| Andile Phehlukwayo 39 (37) | Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1-51 |
| RESULT | South Africa won by 5 wickets |
- Chasing a low target, the openers got a strong start, scoring 57/0 on the first powerplay. They were both fired in rapid succession.
- Rassie van der Dussen and Markram appeared to be in a fifty-fifty partnership. Rashid used the same magic to break the stand and clear up the dangerous Klaasen. However, the other spinners could not apply the same degree of pressure.
- Nabi dismissed Miller, but South Africa still needed more than 60 runs.
- Rassie remained composed at one end, while Phehlukwayo, after a rough start against the spinners, blasted boundaries for fun against Naveen-ul-Haq to complete the match with 15 balls to spare.
- Afghanistan had been reduced to 116/6 after deciding to bat earlier in the day, but 23-year-old Azmatullah Omarzai batted wonderfully and ensured that his team produced a solid total.
- Unfortunately for Afghanistan, that wasn’t enough as the stroke-making grew simpler in the second innings. They forced South Africa to work hard for victory.
Man of the match
RVD earns this one today. The wickets were falling left and right. However, he kept his cool and steer the team to the victory.
